Page 14 of Treasured by Them (Rose and Dagger #3)
Danica
I can’t move. I can’t even breathe. Fear has me locked in place, cowering behind Caleb.
Rustling comes from the bushes at the side, like someone is trying to peer in the windows of the house. Are they looking for me? Would Tate have followed me all the way here from San Esteban? I can picture his eyes, staring into mine, chillingly empty of all emotion.
“I’m armed,” Caleb shouts. “Come around to the back of the house, hands up. Move slow, motherfucker, or I’ll blow your brains out.”
Oh god, oh god. Please. My heart isn’t pounding—it has all but stopped in my chest. I thought I was scared in Vice, when Tate grabbed me. But this is so much worse.
“Holy shit,” a man exclaims. “Don’t shoot.”
Wait. I know that voice. And it isn’t Tate’s.
The man continues, “My girlfriend is here, too. We’re unarmed. We have money. Take whatever the hell you want. We won’t even call the police, just let us go.”
A woman adds, “Please don’t hurt us.”
I know the second voice, too.
“Malcolm? Zora?” I stand up from my crouch behind Caleb. “We won’t hurt you.”
They shuffle around the corner of the cabin, terrified looks on their faces. They both have their hands in the air, but Malcolm lowers his when he sees me. “Danica? What’s going on?”
“Um, nothing.” I nudge Caleb. “Put the gun away—they’re friends. They’re family .”
He frowns, looking between us. “You sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure. I’ve known Malcolm my whole life.” If I weren’t so scared of guns, I’d yank the weapon from his hand and smack him upside the head with it. “Put the gun away. I don’t want to see it again.”
Caleb’s frown deepens, but he pushes a button on the gun and shoves it into his pocket. Storing it there seems profoundly dangerous to me, but what do I know?
Now that we’re—mostly—not in danger of getting blown to bits, I hurry forward and pull Malcolm and Zora into a big hug. “I’m so sorry. Things were a little iffy in San Esteban, so Edmund sent me here with a bodyguard.”
“Iffy?” Malcolm asks, sounding stern and protective.
“Yeah.” I clear my throat and look meaningfully at Caleb. “You can go now, Caleb. Family’s here.”
“I thought your family wasn’t coming until tomorrow.” He side-eyes Malcolm and Zora.
“We thought we’d get here early for some extra vacation.” Malcolm gives me a tight smile.
Shit, they were coming here early for a sexy rendezvous. I’ve ruined their plans. Well, they ruined my plans to be alone and think, so I guess we’re even.
Caleb looks ready to grab his gun again. “Why were you creeping around the side of the house?”
“Caleb, chill .” I shake my head at him.
“Looking for a spare key.” Malcolm smiles. “Craig said it was under a plant pot, but I couldn’t find it. Probably because you already grabbed it, Danica.”
“No, it should be there.” Alarmed, I move around the edge of the house and lift the usual pot. There’s the key, right where it belongs.
“We hadn’t checked that one yet.” Zora’s face is pale and she looks shaken. “Your, um, bodyguard shouted at us before we reached it.”
“I’m so sorry about that.” I flash another irritated glare at Caleb. He could’ve shot my friends by accident. This is not acceptable. “Seriously, Caleb, you can go.”
His brown eyes look troubled. “If you’re sure…I don’t want Edmund to be pissed at me.”
He must be really scared of Edmund. I probably would be, too, if he threatened me with a knife.
I try to sound patient, even though I just want Caleb and his gun gone, away from my cabin. “He specifically said you’d stay until family arrived. Family has arrived.”
“All right. If you say so.” Caleb nods at Malcolm and Zora before heading back around the house. A minute later, I hear his car start up and drive away.
Malcolm and Zora stare at me. The only sound is faint birdsong and the lapping of the water against the dock.
“Sweetie.” Zora’s voice is soft. “We’re going to need a big explanation. What do you mean things were ‘iffy’ in San Esteban?”
I nod, resigned. I can’t tell them everything, but I can share a little. “Let’s go inside and get some drinks.”
“It’s a bit early for alcohol,” Malcolm says.
“Trust me.” I sigh. “We’re going to need them.”
Zora shudders. “I might need two, after seeing that gun aimed at us.”
I feel terrible—that should’ve never happened.
Is this what my life is going to be now?
Danger around every corner? Guns being aimed at my friends and me?
This isn’t the kind of life I want. I want to go back to the boring life where I worked at an ice cream parlor and my biggest worry was whether my best friend and brother were going to start ignoring me now that they’re in a relationship.
As we go into the cabin, Malcolm walks unevenly, favoring his right leg.
“Hey, you’re limping.” I open the fridge and pull out three beers. “What happened?”
“Eh, I pushed too hard during a run at Blackberry Park yesterday.” He uncaps his beer and clinks it against Zora’s and mine. “But don’t think you can change the subject that easily, Miss Danica. What’s the situation in San Esteban that earned you a personal bodyguard?”
“Have a seat. It’s a long story.”
* * *
Edmund
Troy and I find our cop associate, Sam Grinnote, shooting hoops at the park near his house. The morning is sunny and warm. Perfect day, really. A senior couple jogs laps around the dirt track, but otherwise the park is empty. This park must not be a popular one.
Grinnote sees us coming and scowls, but quickly replaces the scowl with a friendly smile. He lifts the bottom of his baggy tank top to wipe sweat from his face. “Layton. Manchester. How’s it going?”
“Not great, to be honest. Do you know why?”
“Uh, no.” He studies the surface of his basketball like it might hold the answers.
“How about you tell me exactly what SEPD is doing about the Vorsong presence in San Esteban.” My voice is casual, but inside, I’m seething. Tate Vorsong felt comfortable enough to step into Aseyev territory and assault Danica.
Unacceptable.
“Well…” Grinnote dribbles the ball, likely buying time to think up a response that won’t piss me off. “The force is pretty busy at the moment.”
“Too busy to handle an insidious new criminal organization?”
“Yeah.” Grinnote throws the ball. It bounces off the backboard and misses the hoop entirely. It bounces and rolls back toward us. “The detectives are all busy with the new murder.”
“There’s another one?” Troy stops the ball with his foot.
Grinnote looks on, annoyed. “This isn’t soccer. How about we shoot some hoops instead of all this talking?”
“No.” Troy kicks the basketball toward him.
Grinnote scrambles for it. “Come on, just a few minutes?—”
“Is it the same killer?” I need to get Grinnote back on topic.
“Looks like.” Rather than try for another shot, Grinnote holds the ball under his arm. “More weird-ass symbols and shit. We had to empty out the fountain at the south end of Blackberry Park because it was full of blood.”
“The body was in the fountain?” I try not to picture it, but the image is there in my head. I envision the guy in the alley floating in water instead, dead eyes staring at a sunny blue sky instead of the empty, black night.
“Propped against it.” Grinnote runs a hand through his blond hair. “Look, I shouldn’t be sharing this stuff with you guys.”
In all the time I’ve known him, Grinnote has never looked guilty. But he does now.
“You’re on our payroll.” I fuss with the cuffs of my jacket, trying to look bored instead of frustrated.
Grinnote frowns at his ball. “Yeah, it’s just…”
Troy and I wait. Where’s he going with this?
Does he want out? There is no out after someone starts working with my family.
Troy’s the only one who’s come close to leaving.
And now that I look back, I think the only reason my father let him go was that he believed Troy wouldn’t stay gone.
And he was right. I might hate my old man, but he isn’t stupid.
“It’s nothing,” Grinnote finally says. “The serial killer, and finding Britney Gardner’s remains, have us all working overtime. We have to protect the city.”
“Make time to handle the Vorsong presence.” I narrow my eyes at him. “It might not seem as important, but if they move my family and the Aseyevs out, you won’t have a city to protect.”